15 games, 1 huge day: Here's what you need to know

15 games, 1 huge day: Here's what you need to know

March 30th, 2023

Opening Day 2023 is upon us, and it comes with more baseball than usual.

For the first time since 1968, all 30 teams will play their first games on the same day (March 30), so Thursday will feature hours of nonstop baseball action. The season kicks off with games in New York (Giants-Yankees) and D.C. (Braves-Nationals), with set to make his Rangers debut later in the afternoon. The Astros begin their title defense at home Thursday evening against the White Sox, while for those up late, World Baseball Classic MVP will take the ball -- and step up to the plate -- in the Angels’ season opener in Oakland.

Get ready for a jam-packed day of baseball with this guide to all 15 Opening Day games, listed in order of start time (all times ET). Every game is available live on MLB.TV (local and national blackout restrictions apply).

Braves at Nationals (LIVE)
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SP matchup: (ATL) vs. (WSH) -- A pair of left-handers will square off at Nationals Park, as Fried, coming off an All-Star appearance and a 2.48 ERA in 2022, starts for Atlanta.
See this new face: Catcher will be in the lineup and behind the plate for the Braves after being acquired from the A’s in the offseason.
Note to know: ’ sixth straight Opening Day start at second base breaks a tie for the second most in Braves history, trailing only (seven straight from 1981-87).

Giants at Yankees (LIVE)
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SP matchup: (SF) vs. (NYY) -- Cole has the most strikeouts (595) of any Major League pitcher since signing with the Yankees before the 2020 season.
See this new face: Shortstop , MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 prospect, made the Yankees’ roster with a strong spring and could become the first player to make his MLB debut as the team’s Opening Day shortstop since Jerry Lumpe in 1956.
Note to know: will make his 12th straight Opening Day start at shortstop for San Francisco, tying (1993-2004) for the second-most consecutive Opening Day appearances at one position in Giants history. (1954-1972) leads the way with 19 straight.

Orioles at Red Sox (2:10 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (BAL) vs. (BOS) -- Kluber is making his sixth Opening Day start, the first five of which came for Cleveland in consecutive seasons (2015-19).
See this new face: Outfielder , who starred for Japan in the World Baseball Classic, will make his Red Sox debut. Yoshida hit .335/.447/.561 for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball in 2022.
Note to know: The Orioles have a 44-25 record in Opening Day games since moving to Baltimore in 1954, the second-best winning percentage of any team in that span.

Brewers at Cubs (2:20 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (MIL) vs. (CHC) -- Burnes followed up his 2021 NL Cy Young Award-winning season with another sub-3.00 ERA year in 2022, leading the National League with 243 strikeouts.
See this new face: Free-agent addition will make his Cubs debut at shortstop after seven seasons with the Braves.
Note to know: The Cubs and Brewers meet on Opening Day for the third time in the past four seasons, with Chicago looking to make it three straight wins against the Crew in those contests.

Tigers at Rays (3:10 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (DET) vs. (TB) -- McClanahan was an AL All-Star in his second Major League season last year, pitching to a 1.71 ERA in the season’s first half.
See this new face: Infielder comes to Detroit as part of the return for reliever , who was acquired by the Phillies in January. Maton was impressive off the bench for Philadelphia in 2022, hitting five home runs in 72 at-bats and posting an .855 OPS.
Note to know: If Miguel Cabrera begins his final MLB season with a hit on Opening Day, he will tie Ichiro Suzuki (3,089) for 23rd on the all-time list.

Phillies at Rangers (4:05 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (PHI) vs. (TEX) -- deGrom will make his 21st career appearance against the Phillies but his first in a Rangers uniform.
See this new face: Shortstop will make his Phillies debut after signing an 11-year, $300 million contract this offseason. Turner comes in hot after tying a World Baseball Classic record with five home runs.
Note to know: With deGrom starting the opener, the Rangers will have their 14th different Opening Day starting pitcher in the past 15 seasons.

Pirates at Reds (4:10 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (PIT) vs. (CIN) -- Greene’s four-seam fastball averaged 98.9 mph last season, the highest velocity among any Major League starter.
See this new face: is back in a Pirates uniform for the first time since 2017. McCutchen signed a one-year deal to return to Pittsburgh, where he was the 2013 NL MVP.
Note to know: This will be the 120th time since 1901 that the Reds have played at home on Opening Day -- 48 more than any other franchise in that span. In 2022, the Reds played on the road on Opening Day for just the second time (also 1990) thanks to the revised regular-season schedule.

Blue Jays at Cardinals (4:10 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (TOR) vs. (STL) -- Manoah earned the Opening Day start in his third season after finishing third in 2022 AL Cy Young Award balloting.
See this new face: Outfielder , MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 prospect, hit his way onto the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster. The 20-year-old will become the youngest Cardinals position player to appear in a game since David Green in 1981.
Note to know: The Cardinals and Blue Jays will play Interleague opponents on Opening Day for the first time in each team’s history.

Twins at Royals (4:10 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (MIN) vs. (KC) -- Back with the Royals on a one-year deal, Greinke will make his second straight Opening Day start and the seventh of his career. He’ll face López, whom the Twins acquired from the Marlins over the offseason.
See this new face: Outfielder  signed a one-year deal with the Twins in December. Gallo had a tough 2022, but he isn’t far removed from a 38-homer season with the Rangers in 2021.
Note to know: already holds the Royals record for most Opening Day starts by a catcher, and he’ll add to that by notching his ninth on Thursday. Mike Macfarlane is second with five starts behind the dish.

Mets at Marlins (4:10 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (NYM) vs. (MIA) -- Opening Day’s best starting pitching matchup features a three-time Cy Young Award winner in Scherzer against the 2022 NL Cy winner in Alcantara.
See this new face: , last year’s American League batting champion, headed to Miami this winter in a deal for pitcher Pablo López. Arraez hit .316 in 2022 and owns a career batting average of .314.
Note to know: The Mets have won five of their past six on Opening Day, and their 40-21 record in season openers gives them the best winning percentage in baseball (.656).

White Sox at Astros (7:08 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (CWS) vs. (HOU) -- This matchup features a pair of 2022 AL Cy Young Award contenders, with Cease finishing second and Valdez fifth.
See this new face: José Abreu will be making his Astros debut against his former team. Inked by Houston to a three-year contract in the offseason, the veteran first baseman was named the 2020 AL MVP with the White Sox.
Note to know: ’s streak of 11 straight starts on Opening Day, the second most of any Astro (, 15), will come to an end. Altuve is recovering from thumb surgery on March 22 after being hit by a pitch during the World Baseball Classic.

Rockies at Padres (9:40 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (COL) vs. (SD) -- Márquez will make his third career Opening Day start and will face Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner with the Rays.
See this new face: , signed to an 11-year deal in the offseason, will make his Padres debut. Bogaerts was a four-time All-Star and won five AL Silver Slugger Awards with the Red Sox.
Note to know: Outfielder , who is beginning the final year of his contract, could make his 10th consecutive Opening Day start for the Rockies.

Angels at Athletics (10:07 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (LAA) vs. (OAK) -- Last seen striking out Angels teammate Mike Trout to close out the World Baseball Classic championship game for Team Japan, Ohtani should be on the mound and at the plate in the Halos’ opener.
See this new face: Center fielder ’s stats between Double-A and Triple-A last year? A cool .332/.447/.526 triple-slash line and a whopping 85 stolen bases. Part of Oakland’s return in the Sean Murphy trade, Ruiz can make an impact for the A’s right away.
Note to know: is no longer the only fish in the sea to have started 11 straight Opening Day games for the Angels. Trout will match that feat this season.

D-backs at Dodgers (10:10 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (AZ) vs. (LAD) -- This intriguing matchup features two hurlers who are both making their first career Opening Day starts, after each finished in the top five in NL Cy Young Award voting last year.
See this new face: will be making his Dodgers debut after a successful five-season run in Boston that included four All-Star appearances. Martinez has plenty of history at Dodger Stadium, including a four-homer game for the D-backs in 2017 and a World Series win with the Red Sox in ‘18.
Note to know: The Dodgers are 10-2 in their past 12 Opening Days, including 2-0 against Arizona. That fits with a period in which the team’s .597 winning percentage ranks 27 points ahead of the Yankees for the highest in the Majors.

Guardians at Mariners (10:10 p.m.)
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SP matchup: (CLE) vs. (SEA) -- Castillo was traded to Seattle from Cincinnati at the 2022 Trade Deadline, but he’ll face his former Buckeye State rival on Opening Day. Castillo went 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 11 regular-season starts for the Mariners last year.
See this new face: is a formidable addition to the Mariners’ lineup. Hernández hit 25 home runs last year for the Blue Jays before being shipped to Seattle in November.
Note to know: Bieber will become the fifth Cleveland pitcher to make four or more straight Opening Day starts, joining (five), (five), (four) and (four).